Psychostimulants: The fact about the effects

1 Psychotropic Drug SeriesPublished by Citizens Commission on Human RightsPSYCHOSTIMULANTSthe facts about the effectsC6397 Psychostim 12/23/10 11:24:09 AM2 IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR READERSThis report is an overview of the side effects of common psychostimulant drugs. It contains information that is important for you to know. Courts have determined that informed consent for people who receive prescriptions for psychotropic (mood-altering) drugs must include the doctor providing information side effects and benefits, ways to treat side effects , and risks of other as well as, information about alternative treatments. 1 Yet very often, psychiatrists ignore these you are taking these drugs, do not stop taking them based on what you read here. You could suffer serious withdrawal symptoms. You should seek the advice and help of a competent medical doctor or practitioner before trying to come off any psychiatric drug.

2 This is very important. Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) does not offer medical advice or referrals but provides the information in this publication as a public service in the interest of informed further information about drugs and their side effects , consult the Physicians Desk Reference at Faith J. Myers v. Alaska Psychiatric Institute, Alaska Supreme Court, S-11021, Superior Court No. 3AN-03-00277 PR, Opinion No. 6021, 30 June Psychostim 22/23/10 11:24:11 AM3 PSYCHOSTIMULANTSthe facts about the effects 2010 CCHR. All Rights Reserved. CCHR Logo, CCHR and Citizens Commission on Human Rights are trademarks and service marks owned by Citizens Commission on Human OF CONTENTSI ntroduction 4 Brand names 5 Chapter 1: What Are Psychostimulants? 7 Chapter 2: How Do Psychotropic Drugs Affect the Body? 8 The Side effects of Psychostimulants 10 Psychostimulants Are Gateway Drugs 11 Drug Regulatory Warnings about Psychostimulants 12 Chapter 3: Psychiatric Disorders vs.

3 Medical Diseases 14 Chapter 4: Solutions: The Right to Be informed 16 Citizens Commission on Human Rights 18C6397 Psychostim 32/23/10 11:24:14 AM4 Newspaper articles often trumpet the wonders of modern-day drug research for the treatment of childhood learning and emotional problems and disabilities. They sound reasonable. They sound convincing. The medications prescribed to treat them are supposedly safe and effective. But are they?Imagine being a parent who is told that your 7-year-old child is very ill and suffering so ill that he needs medication to be able to learn, even to survive. You re told not to worry. Millions of other children are taking it. Give your son or daughter a chance. Now imagine being told that unless you administer this drug to your child, he or she could be removed from your home because to deny the medication would constitute emotional and medical neglect.

4 Under such advice you agree to the imagine hearing the news that your son or daughter just died. Suddenly, inexplicably. A coroner tells you that the experts you trusted, lied. The medication is the cause of your child s death. Imagine the pain. Imagine the betrayal. This scenario is common where psychostimulants are prescribed to millionsof children around the world. Newspaper articles often trumpet the wonders of modern-day drug research for the treatment of childhood learning and INTRODUCTIONC6397 Psychostim 42/23/10 11:24:17 AM5 Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine)Benzedrine (amphetamine)Concerta (methylphenidate hydrochloride)Cylert (pemoline - removed from the market)Daytrana (methylphenidate - skin patch)Desoxyn (methamphetamine)Dexedrine (amphetamine sulfate)Dextrostat (dextroamphetamine sulfate)Equasym (methylphenidate)Focalin (dexmethylphenidate)Metadate (methylphenidate hydrochloride)Methylin (methylphenidate hydrochloride)Provigil (modafinil) Ritalin (methylphenidate)Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Brand names (generic) Shaina looked into my eyes as her life ended and I could do nothing to save her, said the mother of 10-year-old girl who died of toxic levels of a prescribed stimulant for ADHD.

5 I will do whatever it takes to ensure that no other family will ever have to lose a child to psychiatry, said the father of 13-year-old boy who suffered cardiac arrest due to is a lot of information provided to parents about psychostimulants, but it is often skewed because of the financial conflicts of interest between psychiatrists recommending them and the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture Psychostim 52/23/10 11:24:29 AM66 One piece of false information is that a psychiatric disorder such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a real medical disease. It is not. Another problem is that the diagnoses of ADHD, conduct or learning disorders are so broad that nearly all children, and even adults, could fit the criteria. With no lab tests to verify the presence or absence of any mental illness, psychiatrists define symptoms of ADHD as including the following behaviors: fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other tasks; work is often messy or careless; has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities; fails to complete schoolwork, chores, or other duties; often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat; often runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate; is often on the go ; often talks excessively; interrupts or intrudes on others ( , butts into conversations or games).

6 Meanwhile, the stimulant drugs they prescribe to children are so addictive they are referred to by experts as Kiddie Cocaine because of their many similarities to booklet provides facts about psychostimulants commonly prescribed for so-called ADHD, behavioral or study problems. It is aimed at giving parents and others facts from which they can make a more informed decision about their own or their children s healthcare Dr. Mary Ann Block, No More ADHD (Block Books, Texas, 2001), pp 22, Psychostim 62/23/10 11:24:32 AM77 Psychostimulants, also called stimulants, mainly consist of amphetamines (Dexedrine) and methylphenidates (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate and Methylin), which are very similar in chemical structure to amphetamines. A stimulant refers to any mind-altering chemical or substance that affects the central nervous system by speeding up the body s functions, including the heart and breathing rates.

7 In children, however, stimulants appear to act as suppressants, but psychiatrists and doctors state they have no idea thing parents must know, however, is that methylphenidate, the generic name for Ritalin, is classified by the US Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II* narcotic in the same abuse category as morphine, opium and cocaine. It is also classified by the International Convention on Psychotropic Substances in the same abuse category as amphetamine, PCP (hallucinogenic drugs such as angel dust) and claim that psychostimulants can improve a child s academic performance by helping him to focus. This is not US National Institutes of Health (NIH) ADHD Consensus Statement found that there is little improvement in academic achievement or social skills in children taking - CHAPTER ONE -Psychostimulants, also called stimulants, PSYCHOSTIMULANTS?

8 PSYCHOSTIMULANTS?PSYCHOSTIMULANTS?what are* Schedule II: A classification reserved for the most dangerous and addictive drugs that can be Raul R. Gainetdinov; William C. Wetsel; Edward D. Sara R. Levin Jones; Mohamed Jaber; Marc G. Caron, Role of Serotonin in the Parodoxical Calming Effect of Psychostimulants on Hyperactivity, Science, 15 Jan. 1999; Brian Vastag, Pay Attention Ritalin Acts Much Like Cocaine, Journal of the American Medical Association, 22/29 Aug. 2001, Vol. 286, No. 8, p. National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement: Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Volume 16, Number 2, 16 18 Nov. Psychostim 72/23/10 11:24:35 AM- CHAPTER TWO -8 How doPSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS affect the body?Your body consists of chemical compounds obtained from food, sunlight, the air you breathe and the water you drink.

9 There are millions of chemical reactions that are constantly occurring. Putting a foreign substance such as a psychotropic drug into your body disrupts the body s normal biochemistry. Sometimes this disruption creates a false and temporary feeling of euphoria (being high ), short-lived bursts of increased energy or an abnormal sense of heightened alertness. However, it is not natural to feel like this. The feeling does not last and addiction can drugs work by influencing the normal functions of the body: they speed them up, slow them down, dam them up or overwhelm them. This is why you get side effects with psychiatric drugs. But do not think that these drugs heal anything. They are intended to cover up or mask your problems. Meanwhile, they tend to wear out your body. Like a car run on rocket fuel, you C6397 Psychostim 82/23/10 11:24:39 AM9 PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGSmay be able to get it to run a thousand miles an hour to the end of the block, but the tires, the engine and the internal parts fly apart in doing effects can sometimes be more pronounced than a drug s intended effects .

10 They are, in fact, the body s natural response to the invasion of a chemical that is confusing its normal mask the problem; they don t solve the about those who say psychotropic drugs really do make them feel better that for them, these are lifesaving medications whose benefits exceed their risks? Are psychotropics actually safe and effective for them? What ends up happening, says Dr. Beth McDougall, a health center medical director, is that someone feels good for a while and then very often they have to have their dose increased. And then they feel good for a while and then they might have to have it increased again, or maybe they ll switch agents. So it s that kind of a story, if you re not actually getting to the root of what s going on. C6397 Psychostim 92/23/10 11:24:41 AM10 The following is a list of some of the side effects of pain aggression angina (sudden chest pain)anorexia (eating disorder)blood pressure and pulse changesblurred vision depression dizziness drowsiness dry mouth fever hallucinations headaches heart palpitations hypersensitivity increased irritability insomnia involuntary tics and twitching called Tourette s syndromeliver problems loss of appetite mental/mood changes moodiness nausea nervousness psychosis restlessness seizures stomach pain stunted growth suicidal thoughts tachycardia (heart irregularity)toxic psychosis unusual weakness or tirednessviolent behavior vomiting weight loss and zombie appearance.